


Soulless and Unsettled

by FloatingVampireJesus



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Daemon Feels, Daemon Separation, Daemon Settling, Daemon Touching, M/M, Magic, Merlin is a Little Shit, Non Consensual Daemon Touching, POV Arthur, Protective Merlin (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23825878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloatingVampireJesus/pseuds/FloatingVampireJesus
Summary: "The human soul is unique, and in this world the soul is given a physical form, usually taking the form of an animal. To have your Daemon stolen away is to have your soul taken from you, and this leaves you empty, always aching for that part of yourself, always searching for something to fill the hole in your chest. To be without your Daemon is to be soulless. There is no way to replace a soul, but there are beings that know how to substitute the soul with metal from the stars. "
Relationships: Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Morgana (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Morgana & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 5
Kudos: 50





	1. 1

The human soul is unique, and in this world the soul is given a physical form, usually taking the form of an animal. To have your Daemon stolen away is to have your soul taken from you, and this leaves you empty, always aching for that part of yourself, always searching for something to fill the hole in your chest. To be without your Daemon is to be soulless. There is no way to replace a soul, but there are beings that know how to substitute the soul with metal from the stars. These beings lived so far north past the borders of Albion that the land they walked across was always frozen and the seas were ice.

Svalbard is an island in the frozen seas, in the very far north. Therefore, the island is covered in ice and snow most of the year, as it is now at the northern docks. The only beings who are at the northern port are the Panserbjørne, a race of sentient polar bears that stand as tall as a man at the shoulder when on all fours. Though he felt fear filling his lungs, the young Arthur Pendragon held his head high as he walked alongside his father and a few knights as they approached the guard of bears watching them with sharp black eyes. The thick jacket Arthur wore, while protecting him from the initial chill in the air, could not protect him from the freezing wind that blew through him and accented the ache in his chest.

Despite his fear, the blonde prince couldn’t help but admire the armor the bears that walked beside their party wore. It wasn't intricate, but the metal shimmered like it was made from the golden Dust that made up the snorting monstrosity of a furry beast that his father called his daemon. Isolde was some kind of cow, but she was massive, with hooves that could trample somebody and strong horns that curved forward. Arthur knew though that she wouldn't harm him, she never had, and in fact she often showed him more parental love then his father did.

Arthur's gaze was pulled from the bears to the large crystalline palace rising up between walls of ice, its crystal surface reflecting the small amount of sunlight peeking through the shroud of grey clouds. The bears growled low in their throats as their party continued on past them into the throne room in a clear warning, but a weak one compared to seeing all the bears filling the chamber. There were several in armor, probably more guards, and some without, there were just so many that it made Arthur nervous. There was a low murmur around them from the bears. All the bears had deep rumbling voices; not even the voices with feminine edges to them weret any higher in pitch.

"Welcome, Uther Pendragon," spoke a bear sitting upon a metal throne that made his father's own throne seem small. The bear had one large paw resting on the arm rest of the throne, black claws tapping against the metal as equally dark eyes fixed on the young Arthur, who fought the urge to cower under the gaze of a predator.

"Thank you Tarben, we're honored that you let us come," Arthur's father replied with a bow of his head, a respectful, but not servile gesture.

"Yes, I was quite… saddened by the news you sent in your letter," King Tarben began leaning forward, his weight leaning on the massive paw resting between his legs, his gaze falling on Arthur’s father.

"To have one's soul stolen away is a horrid thing," the bear king continued as he pinned the young prince with his intense gaze again.

"However, I cannot help your son Uther, as we do not have daemons. Our armor is our souls," the king of the bears informed father as he rose from the throne. The king was taller than his subjects as he settled on all fours to approach the party of humans, his eyes on Arthur, who fought the desire to hide behind his father.

To the prince's surprise, his father took a step to place himself somewhat in the path of the king of the bears, putting himself between him and his son, who trembled minutely as he stared at the large polar bear.

"Do not fear for the boy, Uther. I cannot help him, but I know of one who would understand what it is like to have your soul taken from you." King Tarben glanced at the father of the blonde child before motioning for Arthur to walk beside him. The prince took a deep breath, gathering his courage before walking beside the armoured bear as he led the way through the crowd, with a snarl at the other bears making them hurriedly part. The rest of the party of humans followed warily behind the bear king and their young prince. Tarben led the way to some holding cells, his claws clicking slightly against the stone. The guards at one of the doors bowed their heads to their king before stepping aside so he could push the door open.

The cell wasn't like the ones in the Camelot dungeons, it was more like a servant's chambers. It wasn't built to dehumanize, but just to hold the prisoner. Arthur had a feeling that armoured bears did not keep prisoners often, and those thoughts unnerved him as he took note of the wall of yellowed fur sitting against the wall with a chunk of metal between his massive paws. It seemed the bear held in the cell was tinkering, but Arthur couldn't possibly guess what he was trying to make with the metal. The way he easily bent it with just the strength in his arms impressed the young prince.

"Young Arthur, this is Svente Øster, once one of our greatest warriors, now soulless," The King introduced as the Panserbjørne in the cell studied Arthur with a curious gaze.

"Soulless?" Arthur repeated as he looked to the king in confusion.

"Yes, like you, he has had his soul taken from him," The king stepped back, leaving Arthur alone in the cell with the other bear to his father's clear displeasure as the blonde heard the voice of his father speaking angrily to the king behind him. The king was replying in an even tone, but Arthur heard none of the words they spoke as Svente approached him. There were three scars under the bear's right eye and one across his nose that barely missed the space between his eyes.

"It seems we have something in common, young Arthur." The bear came to stand before Arthur, who held his ground even though he had to look up to make eye contact.

"The king said you could help me," Arthur replied with confidence in his voice that he did not feel, as a knight was always supposed to seem fearless and confident.

"I can never completely fix the hole where your Daemon would be, but I can offer you a way to ease the ache of their absence," Svente answered.

"How?" Arthur demanded with desperation rising into his throat, the thought of his Daemon made his chest ache and the feeling of something missing invade his mind. Even though he didn't even know her name or remember her voice, his body ached for her.

"My people express our souls by forging armor from the metal of fallen stars called sky iron. We forge this armor with our own paws and it becomes our souls, and I can offer you that as a substitute," Svante replied, with longing in his gaze.

"I don't know how to forge--"

"Then I will teach you." The fierceness in his voice made Arthur shudder, but not in fear. He shuddered because he wanted that, he wanted a way to ease the ache, to feel whole.

"We will forge our armor together. It will make us brothers in arms and that bond will ease both of our pain," Svante stated and this time Arthur returned his gaze with a determined nod.

"Tell me your name, boy," Svente demanded with a paw stomping the ground briefly, his claws clicking against the ground.

"Arthur Pendragon."

"My king," Svante called, his gaze turning to the door. Tarben did not respond other than tilting his head to the side, it was such a subtle gesture that Arthur would have missed it if he hadn't been watching carefully.

"I have formed a contract with the boy, and would ask one last favor of you."

"Ask, then," the bear king replied firmly.

"I wish to take enough sky iron with me to forge armor for myself and the human boy," Svente requested. Tarben considered the other bear with his sharp gaze, he looked to Arthur then and the blonde boy held his eyes. The king seemed to come to a conclusion.

"I grant your request Svente, but you will not be welcome back to Svalbard once you have left."

Svente bowed his head respectfully and King Tarben turned to the guard next to him, ordering him to fetch a chart and the sky iron that had been requested.


	2. 2

It was sickenly easy for Arthur to put his emotions in a box when he did not want to feel them. It was easy even now as he stood next to his father and watched as a man was sentenced to death for performing magic. As the axe swung down through the man's neck, the blonde prince didn't grimace like the people, and as the head rolled he felt nothing but the constant ache in his chest growing painful with no emotions to distract him from it. Then there was thick white fur pressing into his side, reminding him of Svente's steady presence that quieted the ache as he leaned slightly into the large bear.

The low growl from his brother in arms alerted Arthur to the air thickening with the sensation of something being wrong, just as a shrill screech like the ring of a death bell echoed through the square. There perched on the shoulder of an elderly woman was a barn owl, feathers puffed up, wings spread, and beady black eyes glaring at his father. Guards had begun drawing swords and approaching the woman as she pointed a long, thin finger like a spider’s leg up at his father with a murderous glare in her wild eyes. She yelled that she would show him the pain he had caused her. Another, louder, growl rolled out of Svente as he took a threatening step forward and Arthur stepped in front of his father, reaching for his sword. Words of a language unknown to the prince were hissed out from between the woman's yellowed teeth and cracked lips before she disappeared in a burst of green-grey smoke.

"We should be on guard, she will certainly return." Svente's voice was a low rumble, as was normal for a Panserbjørne, though it was clear he was keeping himself quiet. That drew the electric blue eyes of the prince to the ice bear, who was assessing the crowd below as the guards tried to calm the panicked people.

"We'll keep our eyes and ears out," Arthur replied, in a similarly quiet voice, burying a gloved hand into the fur at Svente's shoulder. The bear rumbled low in his throat, a noise of agreement, as they followed Arthur’s father back into the castle. Arthur decided they might be able to get away with some extra training to quell the energy rising between bear and prince. It would be a heavily one sided fight even in armor, but at least they'd have some fun with it.

* * *

Training wasn't fun-- at least it wasn't when Svente wasn't around-- but the recruits needed training and as the leader of the knights it was his job. These kids were hopeless and their Daemons fluttered around them uselessly, rapidly changing shapes. Arthur was growing agitated, feeling as if the training was going to waste, and the ache in his chest was back as he heard their Daemons give them encouragement. Would his Daemon have done that during his training if she had been there? 

These kids were hardly squire ready if their training kept going the way it was. When Arthur had been their age he had walked into the palace of the ice bears and made a contract with one even though he had been fearful of the massive beast, while the trainees could hardly look him in the eyes, let alone an armored bear.

He was in a bad mood at this point and the ache in his chest was numbing the rest of his emotions to the point where he didn't feel anything as he made a servant run back and forth while holding a target, so he could throw daggers into it to release the pent up energy that his agitation was causing.

"That's enough." A new and unfamiliar voice called out. Arthur turned to see a stranger who had seemingly decided to intervene. The first thing he noticed about the boy was his high cheekbones, and despite how thin and bony the guy looked, Arthur thought they might have been close in age.

"What?"

"You've had your fun, my friend."

Arthur's confused gaze turned to an annoyed one as he strode towards the black haired male. Apparently the guy didn't even have the intelligence to at least try to tame his mess of hair before addressing his prince.

"Do I know you?" Arthur demanded as he leveled his gaze on the other boy, who seemed to be nervous. A twitter made Arthur look to the guy's shoulder to see a little yellow songbird staring at him with a surprisingly intense pair of golden eyes. This small thing had to be the stranger's Daemon. It hunkered further against the guy's throat despite unflinchingly holding Arthur's gaze.

"Um...I'm Merlin--"

"So I don't know you then?" The prince demanded, returning his gaze to the human the little Daemon belonged to.

"No."

"Yet you called me friend?" Arthur replied with a raised eyebrow.

"That was his mistake." The small Daemon had a masculine voice, strange. Daemons were often the gender opposite of their humans, like father's Isolde or Morgana's Firdaus. Not to mention that it was also strange for Daemons to talk to any human but their own. It seemed this pair was full of surprises.

"Yes, I think so," Arthur sneered, pulling himself out of his shock so he could put this guy in his place.

"Yeah, I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass," Merlin replied with a little smirk appearing on his face. Arthur couldn't stop the shock from slipping slightly onto his face, who did this Merlin think he was?

"Tell me Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?" Arthur demanded. Though his expression had slipped to something resembling relaxed confidence, there was a clear mocking tone in his voice.

"No."

"Would you like me to help you?"

"I wouldn't if I were you," the tiny bird challenged as his form suddenly shifted to that of a crow. Arthur couldn't help the quiet chuckle that tumbled out. So this guy had both a male Daemon and an unsettled one, how strange indeed.

"What is he going to do?" Arthur asked the crow with a smile that wasn't friendly so much as it was him flashing his teeth in challenge.

"You have no idea," The crow Daemon replied confidently as he clacked his beak at the prince.

"You should watch your tongue," Arthur warned the tiny bird, who held his gaze in a clear challenge. 'Confident little thing,' Arthur thought before his eyes flicked up to Merlin's face. "Well, Come on then. Show me what you've got."

Merlin threw a punch as he expected he would, so it was easy to catch his hand and twist it behind the other's back. The blonde prince was grinning with the thrum of a fight, his grin widened as the Daemon cawed and flapped his wings in alarm smacking his human briefly in the side of the face.

"Who do you think you are? The King?" Merlin sputtered as he squirmed, trying to free himself.

"No, I'm his son, Arthur," he taunted as he tightened his grip on the thin, almost delicate wrist in his grip. His grin widened further as he felt Merlin tense up against him.

"You could be thrown into jail for that, and the Daemons of the guards won't handle your strange unsettled one well," Arthur whispered almost conspiratorially to the frozen crow and human. At his words the Daemon cawed and his form suddenly shifted to that of a sparrow as he spun to glare at Arthur catching the prince off guard.

"If we're strange, then you must be a freak!" The sparrow shrieked, "Cause we're unsettled and you're soulless!"

In his surprise at being yelled at, Merlin was able to slip from his grip and stumble forward with his Daemon flapping his wings to rebalance himself on his bony shoulder perch. Despite being able to escape from him, Merlin's arms were snatched by two waiting guards. The sparrow squawked as the hawk Daemon of one guard curled his talons around the sparrow's small body. Arthur watched in stunned silence as Merlin and his unsettled Daemon were dragged off to the dungeons.

Arthur furrowed his brows as he realized he hadn't felt the ache in his chest the whole time he had been interacting with Merlin, which was highly unusual and strangely pleasing. Arthur couldn't get those thoughts to leave even as he stalked towards the castle smithy to find Svente, needing some company of the unannoying variety.


	3. 3

It had been seven years since Arthur had first walked beside Svente down the streets of Camelot, yet the people were still fearful of the ice bear and gave him a wide berth. Of course the blonde prince had heard the rumors, gossip of how the prince of Camelot had gone to Svalbard soulless and came back with a Panserbjørne for his Daemon. The rumors were silly of course, because a Daemon can not be an armored bear, so neither Arthur or Svente bothered to correct the gossipers.

Today was just a patrol through the market with a few other knights, and the prince wasn’t expecting much to happen. Svente kept throwing Arthur amused looks, like he knew something Arthur didn’t and wasn’t intending to share his secret information with the prince. Arthur glared at his friend as the bear threw him another look, he was about to demand what was so amusing when he caught sight of black hair and high cheekbones as Merlin tries to quickly pass him. Arthur should have just let him pass by, but something in him wanted to see if the ache in his chest would disappear again if he interacted with the other human and his strange Daemon.

"How's your knee-walking coming along?" Arthur asked as he spun on his heel. Merlin's shoulders tensed and Arthur took notice of the songbird perched on his shoulder fluffing up. Merlin tilted his head to say something to his Daemon and kept walking.

"Oh, don't run away." Arthur grinned in triumph when Merlin stopped, his Daemon shifting into a sparrow as he spoke quietly to Merlin. Arthur noticed Svente stepping up beside him in his peripheral vision, he forced himself to ignore the amused flash of teeth from his brother in arms.

"From you?" Merlin asked, his Daemon hissing out more words Arthur couldn't catch as the Daemon shifted into a crow, still all fluffed up.

"Oh thank god, I thought you deaf as well as dumb," Arthur taunted as he continued his approach with quiet snickers to himself.

"Look, I've told you you're an ass," Merlin started as he turned around with a slight smirk tugging on to his face.

"We just didn't realize you were a royal one," The crow Daemon continued with a challenging look. Arthur turned to Svente and gave him a look of 'see? What did I tell you?' The bear just gave him one of his low rumbling chuckles in return as his lips curled back further so he could give Arthur a toothy grin.

"Oh what are you going to do? Get your daddy’s men to protect you?" Merlin asked, causing Svente to chuckle again as Arthur's eyebrows lifted nearly into his hairline as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I could take you apart with one blow," The prince couldn't stop the laugh that was pulled from him as he took a step closer to Merlin, who was smirking a little wider.

"I could take you apart with less than that," Merlin's Daemon cawed at his human's words and flared his wings. Arthur couldn't help but throw Merlin a look of disbelief, he didn't believe for a second that someone as scrawny as Merlin could hold his own in a fight against a trained knight like himself. Arthur was about to ask Merlin if he was sure when Svente nudged him with one massive paw and spoke in his low voice.

"Why not give the boy a chance to test himself if he's so confident?"

Merlin looked surprised for a moment before his Daemon jumped from his shoulder and shifted midair, landing on all fours in the form of a shaggy hound with curly, sand colored fur. Arthur laughed as Merlin hurriedly tugged off his jacket and threw it aside. Arthur took an offered mace from one of his knights.

"Here you go, big man," Arthur tossed the mace to Merlin, who fumbled in catching it. He was clearly awkward with all his gangly limbs, but his Daemon on the other hand just growled low in his throat, the curly mess of his fur rising up at his shoulders as he lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Come on then," Arthur challenged as he took up his own mace and he settled into the mindset for a fight. He took a step forward towards Merlin, who looked annoyed now.

"I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth." The mace spun easily with a few flicks of his wrist.

"Wow, then how long have you been training to be a prat?" The Daemon asked as Merlin smirked in response. Arthur rolled his eyes and chuckled dryly in response.

"You can't address me like that," Arthur warned the hound at their feet, the Daemon growled.

"Sorry." The Daemon sneered with a snap of his jaws and another growl.

"How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?" Merlin asked with a small bow and a smirk. Arthur turned to give Svente a forced smile, the bear just gave him another toothy grin in response. The bastard was getting a real kick out of this.

Arthur swung his mace at Merlin, who yelped and ducked out of the way. He felt satisfied as the other's smirk was wiped from his face. Even his Daemon backed away, though he growled again trying to come off as brave. He swung again and once again Merlin ducked away, his Daemon snapping his jaws at Arthur but backing away with his human. Arthur trailed after Merlin as he kept retreating, eyes almost wild as he glanced around, and that was when Arthur noticed he had dropped the mace.

"Come on, Merlin," Arthur taunted as he swung his mace above his head, and Merlin looked out of his depth as he backpedaled. The hound shifted to a crow and took flight. He cawed at Merlin before darting past him. Arthur chuckled as the peasant turned and followed after the bird, keeping his pace lax as he trailed after them.

Arthur was amused to find that Merlin was quite good at dodging as he slipped out of range when Arthur swung his mace at him again and again as they made their way past people just trying to sell their wares. Arthur raised an eyebrow as the Daemon suddenly reappeared as an owl, screeching at him with wings flapping and talons slashing the air in front of the Prince. It was clearly the bird's attempt to help-- at least Merlin's unsettled Daemon wasn't as useless as the Daemons of the recruits were.

Arthur chased Merlin through the market, the Daemon changing to the same curly furred hound again and running circles at Arthur's ankles, snapping his jaws. He was trying to trip the prince up, but without touching him. It seemed that Merlin's Daemon, at least, had been in a fight before as he knew how to handle himself better than some of the knights' Daemons. The distraction was proving beneficial for Merlin, since Arthur's swings were less accurate as he avoided trying to kick the hound at his feet, as well as avoid being tripped up. He was feeling exhilarated.

Arthur backed Merlin into a stall, and as the other fell he chuckled and grinned with the knowledge of his victory. Confusion made his eyebrows tug together when his mace caught around two hooks hanging from the roof, he could have sworn there had been space between them. Arthur pulled his mace free and swung it at Merlin who jumped back, the Daemon bounding ahead and changing into a sparrow to flutter around his human.

Arthur grunted as he hit the ground from being tripped by a rope Merlin quickly pulled taut at ankle level. He quickly shoved himself to his feet and raised his eyebrows while backing away for some extra space while Merlin snatched his mace up from the ground.

"Do you want to give up?" The sparrow taunted as he hovered by Merlin's head, they were about to go for a strike on Arthur when they stopped, looking at someone in the crowd of people. Arthur took his chance and punched Merlin in the back, and then in the side when he turned to try and defend himself. He swatted the Daemon with a broom, he had snagged, as the Daemon shifted to a hawk to try and distract Arthur again. The Daemon went down with a squawk, Merlin catching him as he fell. Arthur chuckled and swept the ground with a small smirk, it wasn't a noble move but he felt like returning the taunts from earlier.

"Wait," Arthur called as two guards pulled Merlin to his feet, though this time they allowed him to cradle his Daemon to his chest. They paused, looking to him with surprise and confusion.

"Let him go," he instructed with a wave of his hand to the guards and they did as they were told. Merlin looked at him suspiciously as he placed his Daemon on his shoulder, talons digging, probably painfully, into a bony shoulder to keep himself there.

"He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one," Arthur announced as he held Merlin's gaze. He frowned when he realized his theory had been right-- this whole time with Merlin, he hadn't felt the ache in his chest, he still couldn't feel it even now.

"There's something about you Merlin," Arthur studied Merlin's face, trying to find something in the other's eyes. "I can't quite put my finger on it," he concluded, not finding what he wanted in the other set of blue eyes. Arthur frowned at him a moment longer before he strode back over to Svente.

"Did it happen again?" The bear inquired quietly once Arthur was at his side again.

"Yes."

* * *

The only thing Arthur was grateful for, when it came to feasts or parties was the fact that Svente was forced to attend as well, since an armored bear in the court looked good for Camelot. It also looked good when they both wore their armor, which was also something Arthur didn't mind since the armor quieted the pain in his chest to a dull throb, which made it easier to play the part of a perfect prince.

As Arthur laughed along with his Knights, a large paw nudged against his thigh and when the prince turned his gaze to Svente, the bear inclined his head subtly pointing out Merlin, who was walking with Gaius. Chandra, the bat Daemon of the physician, was on his shoulder speaking quietly to Merlin's Daemon, who was in the form of a yellow songbird again. When Arthur flicked his gaze up to Merlin's face, he was watching him in return with a thoughtful frown on his face.

Arthur pulled his gaze away as Morgana's entrance was announced. Arthur turned to look and was stunned. Morgana was wearing a long crimson dress that was being held up by a wide golden necklace, her long black hair pulled up and away from her neck into a bun showing off her pale throat and the sleeveless showing off her shoulders and arms. Everyone was staring, including Merlin. She was cradling her Daemon against her chest. He was a skunk, a creature that Arthur didn’t think was fitting for Morgana, but he wasn’t going to question it since he didn’t even know if his own Daemon would have been settled if she was with him.

"God have mercy," he muttered in disbelief and walked over to his adopted sister offering her his arm, she smirked at him with all her teeth and interlocked her arm with his.

"What's wrong Arthur? Skunk got your tongue?" Firdaus asked from where he was being cradled in Morgana's arms,. The Daemon, unlike the animal he was based on, had white spots all over his body instead of dual white stripes down his back.

"Hush, you," Arthur hissed as he stroked the muzzle of the skunk gently. Firdaus nipped at his fingers playfully with a quiet laugh. Arthur knew people were watching them, seeing as he was touching Morgana's Daemon, ignoring the taboo, because she was practically his sister and Firdaus loved when he received pets from Arthur. Additionally, petting the skunk made warmth wash through his chest, making the pain disappear for a short while, and Morgana had told him that it always made her feel warm too.

"You do look stunning, though," Arthur admitted to Morgana sincerely. She smiled brightly at him, making him feel uncertain and nervous.

"And you don't look half bad yourself," Morgana replied. Firdaus nipped at his fingers again, though the skunk did lick them to soothe the pain from his sharp little teeth. Arthur was about to give Morgana a snarky response when the horn sounded. Both, prince and king's ward shared an annoyed look before they joined the King at the head of the table, taking their seats on either side of him. Arthur brushed a hand against the fur not covered by armor on Svente's shoulder, using the touch to anchor himself once the bear had sat down at his side.

Arthur glanced over and caught sight of Merlin standing with Gwen and Gaius over by the wall. Merlin's Daemon had taken the form of the hound from earlier as he sat at Merlin's feet whispering to Gwen's sheepdog. The two dogs appeared to get along splendidly, with wagging tails and tongues lolling out of their jaws, while their humans were awkward and uncertain.

"You're staring," Svente whispered as he tilted his head to look like he was bowing in respect. Arthur huffed at the bear and his blue eyes met with an amused pair of black ones.

"There is something about him, something that quiets the ache," he replied quietly, briefly glancing at Merlin again as he spoke.The armored bear hummed in thought at his side. They both quieted as his father rose to his feet to address those in attendance.

Uther thanked everyone for attending and introduced Lady Helen, who would be singing for everyone. The woman cleared her throat and Arthur heard a quiet growl from his side, unlike the ones Svente made. He turned and saw a golden wolf tucked just behind his chair, glaring at Lady Helen. Arthur would have been concerned to see a wolf as a Daemon, but the golden eyes of the wolf told him exactly whose Daemon this was. He raised his eyebrows as he looked quietly to the wolf, not giving away his position.

"When she starts singing cover your ears, she's actually Mary Collins," the Daemon warned quietly, briefly making eye contact before looking at the fake Lady Helen.

Arthur was suspicious, but did cover his ears subtly when the lady began to sing.His eyes widened as he watched as everyone began to fall asleep and the room began to age. The Daemon stepped around the chair to snarl, as even Svente had been put to sleep. Arthur rose from his seat to try and wake his father. He looked up, confused, as he heard a quiet curse.

The next thing Arthur knew, that a chandelier had crashed loudly to the floor, killing Mary Collins as it fell, and the distinct pressure of someone laying on him-- when had he gotten to the ground?

Arthur blinked in confusion at Merlin, who was staring back with wide, almost wild eyes, panting from exertion as they stared at each other. Arthur had a feeling that Merlin, with his thin body, was in pain from slamming into Arthur since he was wearing his sky iron armor. There was a swirl of warmth rolling through his chest from the contact between them, it was like Arthur was petting Merlin’s Daemon. He realized that Merlin was feeling the warmth as well as they held gazes.

"Merlin get up now," snarled the wolf Daemon as he looked around with wide frightened eyes at all the people who were waking from the enchantment. Merlin seemed to realize that he was practically draped across Arthur and blushed red all the way to the tips of his ears, fumbling as he climbed off Arthur and to his feet. His Daemon pressed up to his legs as they took a few steps back and away. Arthur quietly got to his feet as well, just as his father searched for him. As their eyes met, his father seemed to relax. That's when he noticed why the room had gotten deathly quiet. Buried in his chair was a dagger in the same place where his head would have been if Merlin hadn’t knocked him out of the way.

"You saved my son's life," Father gasped as he studied Merlin. Arthur felt a surge of warmth as Isolde pushed up against his side and when he met her gaze, her black eyes were filled with relief and love. He briefly ran a hand down her back, feeling the desire to comfort her and in turn comfort Father, to ensure that they know that he's okay. She leaned briefly into the touch, inciting warmth to bloom into his chest.

"A debt must be repaid," Father continued and Merlin's Daemon made a quiet noise of distress at their feet as he kept himself pressed to Merlin's legs.

"Don't be modest," Father said, barreling over whatever protest Merlin was about to make.

"You shall be rewarded." Merlin looked up in surprise as the wolf at his feet made another small, unhappy sound.

Merlin started to quietly protest and Father easily dismissed his words. Merlin's Daemon turned his head to mutter into the leg closest to him in a voice that sounded very against the idea.

"You shall be rewarded with a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant," Father announced and the room cheered as both Arthur and Merlin gave his father disbelieving looks. Isolde nudged her head against Arthur before she trotted after Father. Merlin's Daemon was making a hacking noise against Merlin's leg. Arthur looked down at the wolf and realized that hacking noise was the Daemon muffling laughter by biting Merlin's pants.

Arthur and Merlin glanced at each other briefly and grimaced before looking away. Merlin jumped and his Daemon looked up in interest asa low laugh rumbled out of Svente as he came to stand on Arthur's other side.

"Congratulations, you two," The bear taunted as he chuckled some more. He grinned, revealing all his sharp teeth when Arthur glared at him.

"You just love to antagonize me, don't you?" Arthur asked the ice bear, who chuckled again.

"Oh, of course not," Svente replied, even as he brought a paw up to muffle his next set of chuckles and mirth glittered in his dark eyes. Arthur groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Merlin," Arthur started as he turned to the servant, who frowned at him but gave a slight tilt of his head, "I expect breakfast early tomorrow, don't be late." And with that, the Prince turned away and strode out of the room, leaving behind an amused armored bear, a flabbergasted servant, and a wolf muffling laughter against his human's leg again.

* * *

Merlin was stumbling to clean his room, while Arthur watched quietly as he worked to oil the joints of his armor. He was tempted to make Merlin do it, but that would be the same as him putting his hands on Merlin’s Daemon without permission. As if he knew he was being thought about, the Daemon focused golden eyes on Arthur. He was in the form of a small songbird with shimmery black feathers that looked blue in the sunlight reaching him. The bird regarded him for a moment before he shifted into the form of a sparrow and fluttered over. He landed on the table in front of Arthur, who raised a questioning eyebrow at the bird. 

"Is that your Sky Iron armor?" The Daemon inquired, ruffling his feathers and studying the golden armor. Arthur was surprised by the bird's bluntness and he could tell that Merlin across the room was just as caught off guard, as wide eyes turned to look at his Daemon like he couldn't believe he just asked that question out loud.

"It is," Arthur replied with a slight frown. The bird ruffled his wings and considered the armor for a moment.

“Do you think that if I touched the armor it would be similar to touching another Daemon?” The Daemon inquired with golden eyes lifting to look at the prince again who was floored by the question, he honestly had no response and wanted that same answer as well.

“I don’t know,” he admitted and the bird nodded slowly with a look of consideration on his face.

“May I touch your armor?” The Daemon asked as he shifted to the form of a black cat with a long swishing tail. Arthur nodded and shifted his grip on the breastplate he was oiling and offered it to the cat so it was easily in his reach. The Daemon reached out and laid a paw against the metal. Warmth spread through Arthur’s chest and the feline purred quietly as he seemingly was feeling it too.

“So, the answer is yes,” Merlin gasped, the tips of his ears going red. Arthur pondered what that could mean. He turned his gaze back to the Daemon as he pulled his paw away, making the warmth disperse.

The feline was still sitting on the table, purr vibrating through his chest as he focused golden eyes on Arthur. The color of his eyes only seemed to fit this form as they suited the unblinking stare a real cat always has. The Daemon finally shifted again, taking the form of a crow and bouncing around on his feet for a moment with a look of consideration.

“My name is Emrys.” 

Arthur nodded slowly, surprised by the Daemon giving away his name so easily. It was strange enough that he spoke to other humans without hesitation, and now he was just giving Arthur his name as if telling the prince that it’s sunny outside. Arthur didn’t quite know how to respond, but he had a feeling he should just accept that this Daemon trusted him to tell him his name that bluntly.

“Well at least you and Merlin have weirdly matching names,” Arthur replied. He must have made the right decision as Emyrs rewarded him with a little crooked grin as he shifted to a cat once again. He purred loudly for a moment before he rose to his feet, padding to the end of the table and throwing Arthur another one of his little lopsided grins. Then with a swish of his tail he leaped from the table and, with practised ease, shifted into the form of a songbird. He fluttered over to Merlin and perched on his bony shoulder, briefly rubbing up against Merlin’s neck with a soft coo. The sight brought the familiar ache back with a vengeance. The prince dragged his eyes away and forced himself to go back to oiling his armor, attempting to ignore the pain in his chest as he forced himself to work.

Idly, Arthur tried to imagine what forms his Daemon would prefer if she was unsettled. Would she like being elegant felines? Or loyal hounds like a lot of the knights’ daemons? Would she be a hoofed beast like father's Isolde, or a small vicious predator like Firdaus? Would she like the freedom of flight like Emrys seemed to? Or would she be something wholly unique?

Arthur was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of something clattering to the floor. He sharply turned blue eyes to see Emrys standing on a fallen candle holder with a knowing look in his golden eyes. He shifted into the sand colored hound as he leaped off the candle holder. Merlin was grumbling to the Daemon as he picked up the holder. Emrys threw Arthur a meaningful look as he followed Merlin out the room once the Servant had finished. Honestly, Arthur was learning that Emrys's actions confused him more than Merlin's actions normally did.


End file.
